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Monday, 22 June 2015

Review: Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1) by Chris Cannon

Goodreads Synopsis:

If her love life is going down in flames, she might as well spark a revolution.

Finding out on your sixteenth birthday you’re a
shape-shifting dragon is tough to swallow. Being hauled off to an elite
boarding school is enough to choke on.

Since Bryn is the only crossbreed at the Institute
for Excellence, all eyes are on her, but it’s a particular black dragon,
Zavien, who catches her attention.

Zavien is tired of the Council’s rules. Segregated
clans, being told who to love, and close-minded leaders make freedom of choice
almost impossible. The new girl with the striped hair is a breath of fresh air,
and with Bryn’s help, they may be able to change the rules.

At the Institute, old grudges, new crushes, and
death threats are all part of a normal day for Bryn. She’ll need to learn to
control her dragon powers if she wants to make it through her first year at
school. But even focusing on staying alive is difficult when you’re falling for
someone you can't have.

Review:

After what felt like a little bit of a cliché start with the
whole runaway parents and sixteenth birthday thing, this book picked up
dramatically and I found myself flying through it. Originally it reminded me a
lot of Firebolt by Adrienne Woods (which was my first dragon book) and what set Going
Down in Flames apart was the world building.

It’s safe to say that no matter how awesome it would be to
be a dragon, I would not want to live in this society under the Dictators sorry I meant Directorate… Learning about their beyond
strict rules and prejudices was enough to make my stomach turn! Bryn felt much
the same and we follow her as she tries to get by in a school run by people who
hate her for no other reason than the fact she’s a hybrid of two different
dragon clans - which are awesome by the way with their different colours and
affinities.

Bryn’s character is simply brilliant. Through being
bombarded by information at the start you’re immediately in the same boat and
her reactions were so genuine that it was impossible not to like her. The added
snarky attitude and ability to give out as much as she got in respond to bullying
sealed the deal.

Of course not everyone had it out for Bryn and she made some
great friends along the way. Ivy and Clint had personalities that jumped from
the pages and their presences always brightened the scene. Zavien is another
matter with very hot-and-cold behaviour that meant it took a while for me to
warm up to him. By the end of the book I could kind of understand why Bryn was interested and
now can’t wait to see how their relationship progresses (or doesn’t?) in the
sequel.

With a kick-ass heroine, villain you love to hate,
interesting society and did I mention dragons? Going Down in Flames is a book
you do not want to miss.

Favourite Quotes:

“Nothing relieves stress like setting
things on fire.”

“I threatened him with bodily harm. He
promised to bring me cake for the rest of my life.”

“Ferrin looked at her like she had two
heads. “You don’t want to marry my son?”

“Hell.
No.” He resumed his seat.

“That’s
the first sensible thing I’ve heard you say.”

“Did her dragon nature make her more
violent? She’d never fantasized death for anyone before. Then again, she’d
never met someone like Ferrin.”

Disclaimer

I can guarantee that all of my reviews are honest, which includes the reviews I have written based on review copies I have received which are clearly specified. The fact that they are review copies has no impact on my thoughts and opinions stated in the review. I do not receive any form of monetary compensation for my reviews from authors/publishers.